Running for the Common Folk

Have you ever noticed how many successful shod runners think that barefoot running is crazy?  Even when many of them have knees that are blown, need to be replaced and actually have someone in their life that they can call "their surgeon".  As in, "His surgeon told him that he'd have to give up running or else give up his knees"... Things like that.

It's always amazing to me how so many barefoot/minimalist runners aren't SO much about their finishing times and more about the joy - and how the shod folk just lived and ran by their watches.

But then the AHA came!! What if it's because many of the successful shod runners are actually athletes!!  They are actually able to be successfully competitive!!  I personally could train forever and never actually be competitive with these people - I just don't have the genetics.  Now, this isn't to say that there aren't barefoot runners out there who are athletic and really successful runners - obviously there are many!!

But what if barefoot running gives the rest of us a chance to run? Our goals may never be to WIN our age class or a race, but that doesn't mean that we can't run.

I wonder whether this is a huge opportunity to change the entire intention of running - whole new paradigm. Sports like running have always been centred around the top athletes, the top times, who WON, who placed - on the athletic perspective.

But what if barefooting and minimalist running brings in the "Running for the Sheer Joy of it". 

We watched a local triathlon today.  Nearly every person looked like they were going to die.  They looked unhappy, angry, and sick (and having done a triathlon before, I truly understand all of these emotions).  Until Aleksandar came running in and he had a huge smile on his face - his intention was to just go out and do the triathlon like a training day - not get all serious about "racing" it. And he truly looked like he was having a great time.

I think that it would be truly brilliant if all of us "common folk" actually ran for the sheer joy of it!!  We can still participate in races because the events are so much fun - great people, great energy, and great snacks!! But if the intention was just fun, how would that change everything?

Would more people run? If it was truly just fun?

Could barefooting actually return running to the people?  Not just the elite?

Sounds kind of corny. But I like it!!